Everyone experiences it and everyone copes in their own way. I’ve written before about the impact of stress and weight gain, but how much stress you experience and how you cope with it will directly affect your health and eating behaviors.

Stress has a direct correlation to the foods you crave and consume. It’s also one of your biggest contributors to excess fat, especially around your midsection.

Your best efforts at weight loss will be undermined if you are under high levels of stress.

So what happens in your body when it is stressed?

Changes occur in both the brain and the body that encourage weight gain during periods of stress. You may have heard of the “fight or flight” response that occurs when we are stressed. The brain signals the adrenal glads to release a hormone called cortisol that helps release sugar into the bloodstream, a slower metabolism and and increase in blood pressure…all to gain instant energy so you can well….either fight or flight.

So with constant levels of high stress resulting in a constant flow of cortisol you can predict the damaging effects it can have on your body: high blood sugar, slow metabolism, fat storage, weight gain, Adrenal Fatigue and even Heart Disease.

Let’s talk about ways you can minimize your stress so you can optimize your weight loss efforts and successfully reach your health and fitness goals.

Nutritional support for stress management. Did you know certain foods you crave can actually heighten the stress response? Foods such as candy, processed foods, coffee, alcohol and even higher starch grains can trigger those stress hormones to be released.

Exercise of course! Walking or spend time outside for some good ‘ole Vitamin D!

Journal. This is a favorite! Journalling is a great way to not only track your food and your mood, but also your progress and those stress triggers that could be derailing you! This is may all time favorite journal!

Take long baths. In spite of having a toddler and preschooler, I always took long baths. Yep, locked the door and everything! 🙂 (No, they weren’t home alone, the hubby was always home and in charge! lol)

Read

Meditation and prayer

Yoga

Play! Yes, play with the kids or the dogs. Laughter can sometimes be the best medicine!

When my clients complete their free weight loss profile, about 95% of them answer “yes” that they are under stress. It’s real my friends and can contribute to many underlying health issues you may not be aware of. The key is realizing it and getting ahead of it. More seriously, I’ve seen too many of my peeps suffer from Adrenal Fatigue.

Adrenal Fatigue occurs when the adrenal glands aren’t capable of product the healthy amounts of hormones our body needs. When exposed to prolongs stress, the adrenals simply cannot keep up. People suffering from adrenal fatigue can feel like they are on an energy roller coaster going from exhaustion to energized and back to exhaustion again within a few hours.

The only way to send the correct signals to your body so is to lower your stress burden, change your response to stress and give your adrenals more support.

I hope this helps my friend! What are some of your own ways of coping with stress?

I offer several ways to help you reach your health and fitness goals:

21 Day Fat Shredder:This is a self-guided program that will give you a better understanding and introduction to eating wholesome, real foods and creating healthier habits you and your entire family can benefit from.

VIP Coaching & Mentoring Program: This is a 12 week, one on one, hand holding coaching program where you’ll receive weekly emails and all the tools and resources you need to help you reach your goals. I like to refer to this program as “getting healthy is the goal and losing weight is a side effect”. <3

Personal Training Plans:Become fit, strong and healthier than ever before with one of my online training plans!​ Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned pro stuck in a weight loss plateau, each of my training plans can be done at home or in the gym with minimal equipment needed. Workouts are focused on flexibility, cardiovascular and strength training.​

Please note that if you are interested in ordering any of these products, you can contact us at teamsamfit@gmail.com for more details. By contacting us directly, we can offer you special DISCOUNTS and PROMOTIONS that are available to our readers. We can also answer any questions that you may have regarding these products and other supplements.

* These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product(s) is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease

** As always, check with your doctor or healthcare professional prior to taking on a supplement regimen or testing products to treat medical conditions. We are not health care professionals – this is for informational purposes only and does not override professional medical advice.